Animal Kingdom Travel Guide

Disney’s Animal Kingdom brings nature to life with the most brilliantly designed park and nature reserve around. Travel through Africa or Asia, make a pit stop in Pandora, the culturally immersive park shares the ways of life of those across the country (and on a different planet).

Spanning 580 acres, this vast zoological park leaves endless entertainment and attractions to uncover, but due to its size having a plan is important. Check out my Animal Kingdom travel guide below that showcases the best dining experiences, strategies for scheduling for all of your FastPass+ reservations and stylish attire to make it through the day comfortably. 

1. FastPass+

Last week I shared my ultimate Disney World planning guide, where I talked at length about scheduling your FastPass+ reservations strategically to ensure you were able to ride all of your favorite attractions without dealing with long wait times. If you missed it, make sure to check it out here! These tips and tricks will help you organize your FastPass+ reservations for Animal Kingdom as well as other parks.

Animal Kingdom opened Pandora last May and there is no doubt that the attractions are out of this world (literally! haha) making them the most popular and for a good reason. Ultimately, this means they have the longest wait times in comparison to other attractions around the park, which means it’s important to get a FastPass+ reservation. The Flight of Passage is always my number one reservation, it is the first one that I make and I take any time available. The queue for Pandora is a whopping 240 minutes when it’s full and that time usually never waivers. The FastPass+ offers you the ability to wait no more than ten minutes before being suspended in the sky riding a Banshee! 

Even once you have booked your reservation to travel to Pandora you can also pick an additional (2) FastPass+. Personally, I would select Expedition Everest and The River of Lights performance. 

Expedition Everest is a favorite! Each time feels as though it is my first time riding and the quick wait is completely worth it as part of the queue is located outside in the sun. The River of Lights performance is also available in a FastPass+ reservation and is both a time saver as well as offers a beautiful view. During the non-peak times at Animal Kingdom the park closes at 8PM and if you plan to have dinner at the park and would hope to eat at 6PM and not rush to find a seat at the show the best route to take is a FastPass+!  

2. Dining

Animal Kingdom offers a wide variety of culinary choices for all meals that highlight many different cultural cuisines. There are dining options for everyone, but there are two favorites that I always recommend. 

The Yak and Yeti located in Asia is a delicious option for lunch. The past two years we have dined here and have had a great experience. The Lo Mein is to die for and tops anything I could possibly find at home! 

Tiffins, a fine Disney dining experience, is wonderful! The menu is always changing based on seasonal availability. The pairings of both food and wine is impeccable with service that is unbelievably attentive. Wonderful for a date night out in Disney I will always find my way back to Tiffins for dinner without a doubt! 

Disney Style Highlight:

As the largest Disney Park, Animal Kingdom requires a lot of walking, which means you want to make sure to dress as comfortably as possible. A mix of heat, humidity, the possible thunder storm and a full day’s worth of walking can be a dangerous recipe for a DMD.

Avoiding an absolute melt down, nobody likes a DMD, I chose to wear a cute pair of comfortable denim shorts with a lace detail flutter sleeved top. Each piece compliments the Animal Kingdom theme (who doesn’t like to match the park they are visiting?!) and are both versatile pieces that you can mix and match with other items on your trip or back home as the seasons change. 

**The Kailana Top is also available in Tangerine, which lends itself to the cooler months ahead!**

Shoes are the most important when dealing with a day full of walking and I know I can always rely on my Tory Burch Sandals to keep my feet comfortable. A sandal may not be the most comfortable for everyone so I also linked my Keds below which would be equally cute! 

PS. My bag is from Epcot and can only be purchased from Morocco! When I purchased it last year it was $89.00. The leather is a wonderful quality and it is hand made.